Means for sealing openings



y 16,1957 H. MILLER 2,799,063

MEANS FOR SEALING OPENINGS Filed April 19, 1954 INVENTOR. JAMES I. M I LLER AT'TORNEY United States Patent- Of dustries, Inc Reed -City, Mich.,- a corporation of Michigan I 7 Application April 19, 1954, Serial No. 424,043 '4 Claims. (Cl. 20-69) This invention relates to the sealing or Weatherstripping of building closures and particularly to the Weatherstripping of doors having aluminum frames.

It is a primary object of this invention to provide a seal which may be extended down the free edge of the door including the door lock with its'ends terminating at the retractable bolt. By this means, the door when closed and the bolt thrown, is fully sealed against air leakage, Heretofore this has never been accomplished.

It is a further object of this invention to provide Weatherstripping of such design that the stripping may be readily mounted and removed from the door or door .frame. This invention provides a Weatherstrip mounting arrangement whereby Weatherstripping of a single structural design may be used eitheron the door or its frame or, for that mater, wherever Weatherstripping is needed to properly seal a closure. .The frame on which the' Weatherstripping is to be used is provided with a channel. The Weatherstripping itself is designed to slidably seat in this channel and by means of the channels walls to be positively held against accidental disengagement due to opening or closing of the door or other closure member.

These and other objects and purposes of this invention will be immediately understood by those acquainted with the design and construction of window and door framing upon reading the following specification and the accompanying drawings.

In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a fragmentary, side elevation view of a door and door frame utilizing my invention.

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary, end elevation view of a door incorporating my invention.

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary, sectional view taken along the plane IIIIII of Fig. 2.

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary, sectional view taken along the plane IV-IV of Fig. 2.

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary, sectional view taken along the plane V-V of Fig. 2.

Fig. 6 is a fragmentary, plan view of a door sealed adjacent its hinges by means of my invention. Fig. 7 is an enlarged sectional view of the weatherstripping insert. I l llig. 8 is an end view of an adapter face plate-for door oc s.

In executing the objects and purposes of this invention, I have provided a channel in the frame structure. The wallsof this channel are undercut. An insertable sealing strip consisting of a flexible, central portion designed to project through the open face of the channel and a stiff body portion is seated in the channel. The lateral edges of the inner or stiff portion of the sealing strip seat into the pockets formed by the undercut side walls of the channel, holding the sealing strip within the channel and preventing its disengagement. Where the invention is applied to the free edge of a door equipped with a lock, the channel continues across the face of the lock, permitting the sealing strip to extend up to the locks retractable bolt on both sides. By this means, when the Patented July 16, 1957 ice bolt is in extended position, the gap between the door and its frame is entirely sealed, including the portion in which the lock is mounted. I

Referring specifically to'the drawings, the numeral 10 indicates a door having a frame which may be of any material but which is. normally of aluminum since this material is readily adaptable to the formation of the necessary channel for securing the sealing strip by the economical and rapid means of extrusion. Although the door may be of any desired type and construction, it is, for purposes of illustration, shown as incorporating a glass pane 11 secured along its marginal edge to the frame of the door10. Spaced a short distance from the free edge 12 of the door, is the stationary frame or jamb member 13.

Between the door 10 and the stationary frame 13, there necessarily exists a gap to allow for unavoidable tolerance accumulations in the installation of the unit, to prevent binding of the door and to allow for expansion and contraction. This latter is particularly important where the door and frame are of metal.

Mounted through the edge face 12 of the door 10 is a lock assembly 14 having a retractable bolt 15. The lock assembly 14 is provided with an outer face 16 designed to be flush with the edge face 12 of the door. The lock assembly is secured to the door by a pair of screws 17 (Figs. 2 and 4). It will be recognized that for the purpose of this invention, any other means of securing the lock assembly to the door frame may be employed.

Midway between the margins of the edge face 12 a channel 20 is provided in the face 12 (Fig. 5). The channel 20 has undercut side walls 21. The undercutting of the side walls 21 produces a pair of pockets 25, best seen in Fig. 8. The pockets 25 are shown as rounded but it will be recognized thata key-way type channel with triangular pockets 25 may be used.

Preferably, the channel is relatively shallow and has a flat inner face. The face 16 of the lock assembly 14 is provided with a central channel 20a identical to the channel 20 and aligned with the channel 20 when the lock assembly is mounted to the door (Fig. 3). The channel 20a comes up to the retractable bolt 15 on both sides and preferably communicates with the opening 22 for the bolt 15. While it is not absolutely essential that the channel 20a open into the bolt opening 22, it is desirable because such an arrangement permits the hereinafter described sealing strip to be brought up flush to the bolt. It also greatly facilitates the formation of the slot in the face of the lock assembly such as by making the face plate from extruded aluminum bar.

The tops of the screws 17 are flush with the bottom of the channel 20 to eliminate interference with the sealing strip. Access to the screws is obtained by the openings .23. I

To make this invention readily available for door installations without necessitating the use of door locks of special design, it is desirable to provide replacement face plates 30 for the door lock with the necessary channel then cut into sections of the desired length. The opening for the retractable bolt is located to match the particular lock design. By substituting such face plates for those with-which the lock was originally equipped, locks of conventional design may readily be converted for use with this invention. This eliminates the expense of designing special locks for this purpose.

Seated in the channels 20 and 20a is a Weatherstrip insert or sealing strip 40 (Fig. 7). This strip consists basically of a flexible or resilient center member 41 and a substantially rigid base or backing strip 42. The center strip 41 may be of any suitable material such as a long pile fabric of natural or synthetic fibers or it may be of rubber or rubber-like material. It must be flexible enough that when forced in contact with another surface, such as when the door is closed, it will form a seal against that surface butproduce negligible resistance as the result of being pressed and deformed. i

The backing strip 42 may be of either metal 'or plastic. The lateral edges of the backing strip are turnedupon themselves to tightly clamp the inner edges of the flexible strip 41. This automatically forms the edges of the backing strip into a rounded shape, permitting them to fit securely and snugly within the channels 20 and 20a. The width of the backing strip 42 is such that it seats under the undercut side walls of the channels 20 and 20a thus preventing the strip fromdisengaging from the channel. While thematerial for the backing strip 42 may be steel or aluminum, it is preferably plastic. Should the strip slip and accidentally extend from the bottom of the door, the use of a plastic backing member will permit the strip to bend easily and if accidentally dragged across a linoleum or composition floor it will do so Without gouging.

The backing strip 42 is described as stiff rather than rigid because it may be bent over a large radius as compared to the flexible strip 41 which is entirely flexible and compressible, The backing strip 42 must be stiff enough to prevent its disengagement from the channel.

The sealing strip 40 is held against longitudinal displacement by any suitable means. It may be so made that it is sprung into the channel with the center of the strip slightly arched. In this case the frictional engagement between the lateral edges of the backing strip 42 and the undercut side walls 21 of the channel are relied upon to hold the strip in place. securing the strip is to bond it to the channel adhesively. Another method utilizes small screws 43 through the center of the strip engaging appropriate openings in the frame (Fig. The particular fastening means selected will depend upon the circumstances of the installation.

It is necessary that the portion of the sealing strip 40 above the bolt be positively held. If the upper strip should slip and fall across the opening 22 it will interfere with the bolt preventing locking of the door. It

Another method of is desirable that the strip below the bolt be positively held 7' so that it will not slip down against the floor and interfere with the operation of the door.

In Fig. 6 there is illustrated the application of my combination sealing strip and channel to the hinged edge of a door. The door 10a is hung on the stationary frame 13a by means of a hinge St). The stationary frame 13a has a leg portion 51 projecting into the door opening. The outer face of this leg 51 contains a channel 29 within which is mounted a length of the sealing strip 40.

The flexible portion of the sealing strip contacts the closed door. It is obvious that the use of my invention permits the sealing strip to be quickly and easily secured to the stationary frame 13a and provides a positive seal against the door whereby it will be free of leaks.

While I have described my invention as applied to doors and particularly to the use of a sealing strip across the face of the door lock assembly, it is obvious that my invention may be applied to other situations in which it is necessary to provide a seal around an opening.

It will also be obvious that certain modifications of my invention may be made, each incorporating the principle of my invention. Such modifications are to be considered as covered by the following appended claims unless these claims, by their language, expressly state otherwise.

I claim:

1. In means for sealing the opening between a door frame and the free end of a door having a lock mounted therein, said lock having a retractable bolt, the combination comprising: a first channel in the end of said door and extending lengthwise thereof; the side walls of said channel being undercut; a second channel of identical size and shape in the outer end face of said lock; said second channel extending up to said bolt on both sides of said bolt; said first and second channels being aligned; a pair of sealing strips seated insaid channels, one on each side of said bolt; the lateral edge portions of said sealing strips seated under the undercut side walIs of said channels; the central portion of said sealing strips projecting through the open face of said channels.

2. In means for sealing the opening between a door frame and the free end of a door having a lock mounted therein, said lock having a retractable bolt, the combination comprising: a first channel in the end of said door and extending lengthwise thereof; the side walls of said channel being undercut; a second channel of identical size and shape in the outer end face of said lock; said second channel extending up to said bolt on both sides of said bolt; said first and second channels being aligned; a pair of flexible sealing strips seated in said channels one on each side of said bolt; a portion of said sealing strips projecting through the open face of said channels; the lateral edges of said sealing strips being seated under the undercut side walls of said channels.

3. In a face plate for a door lock, said lock adapted to be mounted through the edge portion of said door and to have a sealing strip mounted in the exposed face thereof, said face plate having a bolt opening therein, the combination comprising: a longitudinally extending channel in said plate, said channel being intermediate the edge margins of said plate; said channel being open on one face and parallel to the edges of said plate and adapted to receive said sealing strip; said channel communicating with said bolt opening on each side of said opening.

4. In a face plate for a door lock, said lock adapted to be mounted through the edge portion of said door and to have a sealing strip mounted in the exposed face thereof, said face plate having a bolt opening therein, the combination comprising: a longitudinally extending undercut channel groove in said plate, said channel groove being intermediate the edge margins of said plate; said channel groove being open on one face and parallel to the edges of said plate and adapted to receive said sealing strip; said channel groove communicating with said bolt opening on each side of said opening.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 

